ep 069: Pennylane Shen

The Craft with May Globus

Pennylane Shen is the consummate conversationalist—to get into a discussion with her is to go deep into all topics. The artist consultant and founder of Dazed & Confucius has spent decades in the art world, particularly the fine art space, working in galleries, teaching and, now, guiding artists around the globe as they build and refine their practices.

She grew up mostly in Vancouver, the precocious daughter of Chinese immigrant parents. From a young age, she was strong-headed and a rule-breaker, at times to the chagrin of her traditional father and mother. Born from a wild imagination, Pennylane had the ability to draw and make when she was a child, practicing her art over and over. This artist leaning took her to the University of Toronto to get her Fine Arts degree, and then to NYU to do a masters degree. A visa expiration brought her back to Vancouver, among other reasons, where she continued to work at galleries, while doing private artist consultations on the side. In 2016, she finally fully pivoted into her consulting work with Dazed & Confucius.

In this conversation, we explore the dynamic between her and her parents during her early years; the ways her chapter living in New York opened her and challenged her; what to keep in mind when building a budding art collection and what makes a meaningful collection; the emerging, new wave of POC collectors; how artists can build a strong careers & what traits they should embrace in order to succeed; why intention, practice & context are essential when critiquing art; an examination of curation; what’s exciting her and disheartening her about the art world; one question every artist should ask themselves; and much more.

TIMESTAMPS:

5:02 - Growing up

8:04 - Parents

10:09 - What she was like as a kid/teen

15:04 - Her chapter in New York

27:31 - How she got her career going in Vancouver

33:45 - Does she feel the same excitement expanding her company

35:06 - Skills that art consultant should have

37:25 - Can someone be built into a great artist

39:54 - The three pillars of how she works

42:28 - How she would nurture young clients

45:58 - Things to keep in mind while collecting art/What makes for a meaningful, intentional collection

57:37 - New POC art collectors

01:04:21 - Whats exciting/disheartening in the art world now

01:08:43 - What are the things that we can actionably do to support artists other than buying

01:12:29 - What would she say to her younger self

01:14:17 - Final question

01:16:52 - Where to find her